U.S in denial over obesity as one in four overweight adults 'don't think they have a problem'

Millions of Americans are in denial about having a weight problem which is stopping them from trying to slim down, U.S researchers have warned.

Nearly 70 percent of U.S adults are now classified as either overweight or obese. However, a new study has revealed one in four adults who have piled on the pounds do not believe they have a weight problem

As a result they see no need to work on improving their health.

Denial: Overweight adults who didn't think they had a problem were far less likely to want to slim down (posed)

Scientists at Duke University in North Carolina said such a skewed perception was a serious hurdle to doctors trying to encourage their patients to slim down.

Lead author Professor Gary Bennett, said: 'It's often said that the first step in improving a problem is believing that you have one. That's particularly true for obesity.

'A sizeable proportion of obese Americans don't accept that they have a weight problem. This group is less likely to practice healthful behaviours that will help them lose weight and improve their health.'

The researchers used data from the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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They examined associations between faulty perceptions about weight and attitudes and behaviors such as wanting to weigh less, and trying to diet among overweight and obese adults in the U.S.

The overweight and obese men who didn't think they had a problem were 71 per cent less likely to want to lose weight, while 65 per cent of women didn't feel the urge to diet.

The findings, published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, showed they were also far more likely to continue with bad habits such as not bothering to exercise.

Co-author Dustin Duncan, said: 'Our study is among the first to show that weight misperceptions hinder weight loss and control, which is important on its own but also because these data are nationally representative.'

Medics 'should do more': Only 40 per cent of fat respondents in the sample reported being told by a doctor that they were overweight (posed)

He added that black Americans, who had the highest rates of obesity and obesity-associated health problems, were also least likely to think they had a weight problem.

The study revealed far more could be done by the nation's doctors to challenge misperceptions.

Only 40 per cent of respondents in the sample reported being told by a doctor that they were overweight, let alone that they should try and change.

'These findings show that it's important for health care providers to consistently diagnose obesity and counsel their obese patients about effective weight-loss strategies,' said Professor Bennett.

Researchers said the clothing industry can also help by eliminating 'vanity sizing' or size inflation, in which size numbers scale down over time, so a size 14 becomes a size 10.

Mr Duncan added: 'It is also necessary for us to understand why these misperceptions exist in the first place, to determine the best strategies for preventing and reducing these misperceptions.

'We plan to investigate some of these hypotheses in follow-up studies.'

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U.S in denial over obesity as one in four overweight adults 'don't think they have a problem'